A Ride into the Sunset
by Dexraz
Summary: Jesse McCree is a man of simple tastes, but he finds himself falling for a woman he never would have expected. For someone as perfect as her, he wants to show her that he's not all playboy charm. Oneshot.


_**A Ride into the Sunset**_

A bright light shined in through the small, circular window on the wall. It fell inwards into the cluttered, almost dirty room, and rest upon the face of a very groggy Jesse McCree.

Shirtless, with the seam that connected his upper arm to his mechanical arm visible, he looked like he had been on the receiving end of a bar fight. In reality, it was just the sheer volume of alcohol he had consumed the previous night.

' _Agh, damn. Really shouldn't drink so much',_ he mused to himself. ' _Or challenge Reinhardt to a drinking competition'._ Groaning, he continued, _'Yeah, that was a bad idea.'_

Raising his right hand to cover his eyes, he looked at the clock on the wall. Suppressing a chuckle, he pushed himself off the bed with a grunt.

"Would ya look at that, it's high noon."

Mentally high-fiving himself for using his favorite phrase, Jesse lazily stooped down, picking a clean shirt off of the floor. How he knew it was clean was a mystery, but he just had a feeling in his gut that he hadn't worn it for at least a week now. Sliding his arms into the sleeves of the red plaid, he smoothly buttoned the front all the way down from his chest, leaving a small amount of his collarbone visible as the fabric assumed its normal dog-eared position. He pulled the sleeves back to his elbows, hiding the connection of the mechanical arm but still giving his other arm air as well as giving off an air of nonchalance.

He drew his hand up to his face, feeling the end of his typical 5 o'clock shadow as his fingers ran through the start of a beard. Reaching upwards, he smoothed his hair before grabbing his hat and placing it in its rightful spot. Bringing his hand back down, he happily found that his Peacekeeper was still in its holster, fully loaded. Tipping the brim of his hat down ever so slightly, he walked for the bedroom door.

Moving out into the rest of his small quarters, he saw the various bottles of whiskey still laying about from weeks past.

' _Eh, I'll pick them up later',_ he thought to himself.

After dealing with the thought that had recurred for the past couple of days, he gingerly stepped over the bottles, making his way over to the door. Jesse McCree could hold his own in alcohol, but he had a huge appetite to back it up, and he was hungry.

Closing the door behind him, he was grateful for the hat that blocked the harsh rays of sunlight flooding the hall. Meandering about, he eventually made his way to the mess hall. It was there that he saw Genji Shimada sitting at a table on his own, enjoying a bowl of ramen.

Jesse walked to the counter, grabbing the first thing he saw as edible, which just so happened to be a ham sandwich. With it both in hand and in mouth, Jesse walked back over to Genji's table, sitting in front of him with a small greeting.

From the moment Jesse had met him, he knew they'd be great friends. He was on one of his first missions with Blackwatch, Overwatch's covert operations division, in Japan. They had completed their mission of ending a gang feud, and were returning to the airship when Jesse had heard groaning coming from an alleyway. Glancing down the alley, he noticed a bloody figure lying on the ground, not completely motionless and still breathing. Hastily sprinting over, Jesse saw that the man had sustained heavy damage across his entire body, and he looked like he had just crawled out of a fire. Without wasting any time, Jesse hoisted him over his shoulder, despite Gabriel's yelling, and had alerted the doctor that they had a severe case incoming.

Luckily, with Dr. Ziegler's skill, they were able to save the man. He had been forced into a mechanical body, much like Jesse's arm, but was very much capable of most human functions. As Jesse looked across the table at his best friend, he chuckled to himself.

' _Doc definitely saved his human appetite.'_

That's when his heart sank.

' _Angela...'_

From the moment Jesse McCree had been plucked from the clutches of the Deadlock gang, he had been extremely close to the medical prodigy of Overwatch, Dr. Angela Ziegler. As they were the same age, they easily became close friends, although he did receive quite the amount of scolding, whether it was his drinking habits, or his insistence on always being a hero. It was due to this second fact that the two spent so much time together and became such good friends.

It was only now that Jesse had begun to realize his feelings for the young angel.

They had been realized about a week ago, when Jesse came back from a mission, bloody and bruised. The mission was originally supposed to be an ambush, led by Jesse, with several Overwatch soldiers to apprehend a local crime lord. The tables turned, and the soldiers found themselves on the receiving end of the ambush instead. In the end, the crime lord had two bullets where his eyes used to be, and Jesse was the sole survivor. As he crawled back through the gate to the Watchpoint they were stationed in, he was practically slammed by Angela. She was in tears, yelling at him, while still helping him to his feet and holding him up, as both moved swiftly to the medbay. He had been set on an operating table, and despite Angela's yelling, he couldn't help but notice the butterflies that let fly whenever her hands glided over him. So he lay there, in a daze, thinking about his guardian angel, and came to realize that he cared for her.

He was torn from his reminiscence abruptly as he saw Genji's face tilted to one side, staring at him quizzically.

"Cowboy, are you alright?"

Jesse smiled. "I told ya to stop using that damn nickname, ninja."

"And I told you the same cowboy. Now answer the question."

Sighing, Jesse saw that he was trapped. As good of a liar as he was, it seemed that Genji could always see straight through him. Knowing the kind of augmentation he needed to survive, Jesse wouldn't have been surprised if Genji could actually see _through_ him.

"Keep quiet, alright? It's not somethin' the whole world needs to-"

"It's Dr. Ziegler, isn't it? Is something wrong?", Genji finished for him, maintaining a whisper as he added with a grin, "Or is something right?"

Shaking his head, Jesse all but confirmed Genji's second guess.

"I just, I can't shake the feelin' Genji. I mean, I've known her forever and all, but something just seems different all of a sudden."

Nodding in understanding, the cyborg's glance moved from behind Jesse to look in his eyes. "It's only natural. With the amount of contact you have with her, plus how long you've known her, it was really only a matter of time. I would venture to say that seeing her so worked up over you most likely cemented these feelings."

Jesse sat staring at his friend in awe, as he realized that Genji had just read him perfectly.

"I just, how did you...? Dammit, Genji."

Genji laughed, almost falling backwards. "Talk to her then Jesse. You always say that you're so smooth, so go ahead and use your charm."

"It's not the same with her. I actually _feel_ something. It's not just some one-night deal. It's gonna have to be gradual, and I'm probably gonna have to show her...", Jesse trailed with a distressed frown.

Genji's laughter rang out, and he fell completely off the bench after the cowboy jumped, hearing the voice that came from behind him.

"Show me _what_ , exactly, Jesse?"

Jesse shot a glare at Genji, and the ninja understood why he had been given the nickname 'Deadeye'. If looks could kill, Genji would've died a hundred times over. Jesse turned around to see the small but confident form of Angela Ziegler. Standing there in her blue t-shirt and tight jeans, her hair pulled up into it's signature ponytail, Jesse's heart jumped into his throat, then out of his mouth completely. Looking back at Genji, and cursing himself for what he was about to do, he stood up and looked her in the eyes.

"This", was his one word response, before he pulled her into his arms by her hips and kissed her, firm but gentle, and held the kiss for a few seconds. He was surprised to feel that she didn't struggle against him, and in fact seemed to be enjoying it. He confirmed this when he finally pulled back and saw the flush of red across her entire face.

"Well, I think it's about time", she giggled. "Although I thought that with your sense of honor, you'd at least take me on a date first...", she trailed off, a smirk on her face and a suggestive gleam in her eyes.

Genji sat behind him, staring in total awe as his friend had just gone beyond what he thought possible. Jesse, having similar thoughts, managed to answer Angela with an intelligible, "Uh...yeah...I mean-".

There was a moment of silence as both Jesse and Angela stared into each other's eyes before she erupted into laughter.

Taunting him, a smile still adorning her face, "I'm not one for complexity, Jesse, but you have to do better than that."

Jesse finally made it through his anxiety, regaining some of his charm. "Of course, darlin'. I'll come knockin' at 7, you be ready for me. Alright?"

Shocked by his sudden recovery, it was now Angela's turn to stammer, "Uh, yeah, I mean yes, yes, that will be fine."

Gently taking her hand and kissing it, he tipped his head in a mock bow. "I'll be seein' you then. A gentleman has to clean up."

With that, he walked off, out of the hall and around the corner before giving an uncharacteristic leap in the air, pumping his fist. Remembering what he just told her, he chuckled. ' _If I'm gonna clean up, I have one hell of a lot of work to do.'_

Meanwhile, still in the mess hall, Genji stared at Angela accusingly.

"Doctor, you're welcome for maintaining my silence, but surely you can be more graceful than _that_."

She blushed, her entire face red as though she had spent too long under the sun. "It's _him_. I'm not a doctor to him". Seeing Genji's head tilting to a side, confused, she added, "I'm his angel."

* * *

As he looked himself over in the mirror one last time, Jesse nodded. ' _I actually look pretty damn good.'_

Granted, he wasn't really dressed up. Jesse didn't do fancy dates, and he figured that if Angela agreed to a date, she agreed to be with who he was. Instead, he had a black shirt, collared and buttoned in his typical style, with the sleeves at his elbows. He had decided not to wear his signature 'BAMF' belt, instead opting for a simple black band that looped through the dark jeans he had on. Covering the pant legs were his standard boots, cleaned and shined to perfection. His hair was combed, and his beard trimmed back to the 5 o'clock shadow he was known for. Most importantly, his hat was in its rightful place atop his head.

Turning away from the mirror, he glanced in admiration at his room, which was now spotless. Every bottle, can, and bag had been picked up, and all of his clothes were where they belonged. He had tried to convince himself that he wasn't doing it in the hopes that she would return to the room with him, but decided to pick it all up anyways.

Walking casually to her door, Jesse grinned as his plan for the night ran through his head. Before he could vocalize them however, the door in front of him opened to reveal a sight truly from the heavens.

Angela stood in front of him with her hair down, the golden-blonde locks of hair falling gracefully over her shoulders. She wore a white spring dress, complimenting her bright blue eyes and white sandals. As Jesse stared, and his mouth dropped open slightly, a shade of red overtook her cheeks.

"Oh, quit staring, you. You're not too bad yourself", she said, giggling.

With a sheepish grin, Jesse linked their arms together and set off for the main gates.

"So, 'Mr. Man of Action', where are you taking me for this fine date of ours?"

"You'll see, darlin'", was his short but charming response.

The two walked, but not towards the streets of the town below, no. Jesse walked them through a small park, watching the birds fly by and the children still playing, as the sun had yet to go down. Shocked by the quiet, beautiful surroundings, Angela walked in silence, though she slid her arm out of the link to grab his hand instead.

"If we're on a date, we should at least _look_ like we love each other", she teased.

"Aw hell sunshine, no one needs to see our hands for that. You can tell by lookin' in my eyes."

' _Ah, so there's his charm.',_ she thought to herself.

They continued walking through the park until they reached a small wooden bench overlooking a fountain and a section of the park. Gesturing to the bench, Jesse asked Angela to sit down.

"And why is that, Jesse?"

Grinning, he knelt down, kissing her forehead before responding, "So I can do this."

 _This_ consisted of him picking Angela up off the bench, and holding her in his arms, bridal style. She squirmed and laughed and told him to put her down, but it wasn't time to yet. Carrying her, Jesse strained his legs as he pushed up to the top of a hill. Reaching the top, he gently set her down beneath the shade of a leafy oak. She looked beneath her to see a tablecloth set out already, along with a small basket. Raising her head, she looked out and could see the sun coming to a rest beneath the horizon, the gentle colors flooding the sky. She could see the entire park beneath them, and all of the plants and animals that resided within it. Most importantly, she could see Jesse's cheesy grin as he removed his hat from his head and sat down next to her, his back against the tree.

"Jesse McCree, I didn't think you had a single romantic bone in your body, but this-", she trailed off before continuing, "-this is amazing. Incredible."

She turned to look into his warm brown eyes, adding, "Thank you."

"O' course. It's a holy sight for an angel such as yourself, angel."

She laughed, leaning back and curling up against him. "Jesse..."

He looked down, thinking something was wrong. "What is it dar-"

The kiss she planted on his lips stopped any worries he had, and as the light began to fade, the cowboy got his own version of a ride into the sunset with the woman he knew he loved.


End file.
